This text brings together sociological, anthropological, and social policy perspectives on the life course with a view to developing the conceptual rigor of the term as well as to exploring the rich range of debates and issues it encompasses. Linking traditional sociological and anthropological concerns with more recent postmodern debates centered on the self, identity, and time, the book integrates theoretical debates about childhood, youth, middle age, and later life with empirical material in an illuminating and innovative way.